Over 200 attend T.D. Williamson Technology Day

A high number of industry professionals attended the T.D. Williamson (TDW) ‘technology day’ held in Houston, Texas, on 12 May.

The event examined several questions pertinent to the global pipelines industry, featured equipment demonstrations, break-out technical presentations, and group discussions.

The equipment demonstration offered participants the opportunity to see, touch, and gain a better understanding of the company’s products and processes that improve pipeline integrity.

One attending pipeline engineer explained that this was the first time he had a chance to observe the products that he orders on a daily basis.

A major focus at the 2016 event was keeping integrity high while commodity prices are low.

According to a pipeline integrity engineer at a company that operates pipelines, terminals, and storage facilities, in a down economy companies may have to cut back on capital spending, but integrity management remains steady.

He said “Everyone is working to be as prudent as possible. We’re doing everything we can to understand our pipe, including inline inspection (ILI), corrosion control, and damage identification.”

Consultant Brent Phelps added that although prices are down and new construction has slowed, problems like corrosion don’t take a holiday. Maintenance goes on, he said, and regulations don’t change with oil price.

The event began as an open-house held in conjunction with the launch of the TDW sales and service center in Pasadena, Texas, in 2007. Since then, the annual event has become a tradition that attracts hundreds of attendees from the Gulf Coast area.